Duke's Krystal Thomas, right, works against an assistant coach during practice to get ready for DePaul at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saturday, March 26, 2011. (Michael Bryant/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT)

Two dreams have come true for Duke senior and The First Academy alum Krystal Thomas.

Krystal Thomas was drafted to the WNBA’s Seattle Storm Monday and she’s graduating from Duke University this May. Graduating from Duke had been a dream for Thomas since she was 5-years-old.

“When I look back, I wouldn’t have thought I would have been in this position six or seven years ago,” Thomas said in a phone interview Tuesday. “It’s such a blessing to have these opportunities in the first place.”

Only problem is, training camp for the Seattle Storm and college graduation are both on May 15.

Thomas, who majored in psychology with a double minor in sociology and cultural anthropology, said she will ask the Storm organization if she can come one day later. Interestingly enough, she also missed her high school graduation from Orlando’s The First Academy because she was participating in the U.S. Basketball trials.

“I guess it’d be fitting for me to miss it since I missed my high school graduation too,” Thomas joked.

Too nervous to watch the WNBA draft live, Thomas and Duke teammate Karima Christmas worked out during the ESPN broadcast when friends delivered the news that both had been selected.

Krystal Thomas, selected No. 36 in the third round, and teammate Jasmine Thomas, the No. 12 pick, were both selected to the Seattle Storm. Christmas was taken No. 23 in the second round by the Washington Mystics.

The Orlando Sentinel first followed Krystal Thomas’ amazing story of perseverance in high school when her mother died from complications of breast cancer in 2006, shortly before the state tournament. She and then teammate Alexa Deluzio, now a guard for Florida State, quickly became family when the Deluzios welcomed the Thomas children into their home.

Krystal Thomas has always been a young woman of character and integrity. She is the type of role model we want our young athletes to mimic. Congratulations to her and here’s hoping she finally gets to walk the graduation stage.